Dupes (Blush & Highlight)

Not all makeup is created equally. There are so many high end brands that can get away with high pricing because of their formulas, wear time, pigmentation and overall look. A lot of people, including myself, fall victim to the high end trap: we think its better just because of the brand name. However, thats really not the case.

There are some drug store brands that hold a candle to these high end brands at a wayyyyyy cheaper price. It’s kind of crazy to look at my makeup collection and notice that so many items have similar colors and textures. I will say, when I find dupes, sometimes they look similar, but they don’t wear the same- and that’s why this list is kind of short. I found 3 items in my vanity that are the same color, texture and perform exactly the same!

Elf Powder Blush Palette $6 vs. Too Faced Love Flush Blush

These beautiful peachy/coral blushes are both great items! Of the two, the Elf Blush is more pigmented when swatching and when applying to the cheek using a brush.

The wear time is similar for both brands, I wouldn’t say one last longer throughout the day. The Elf Blush palettes are an everyday item for me, the colors are beautiful, pigmented and the palette style packaging is super convenient to travel with. The Elf palette dupes the Too Face Blushes at a wayyyy less expensive price point, plus is comes with multiple shades. Elf Palette is $6 for 4 Blushes– Too Faced is $26 for 1 Blush.

Wet n Wild Bronze Rainbow vs. Becca Opal

These are both blinding, chunky, golden based highlights. These swatch and wear very similarity being that they are gold/bronze shades with tons of glitter.

Let me repeat, these highlights are very chunky and glittery!!! If you prefer a smooth highlight, these may not be your cup of tea. The finishes and colors are SO similar you could literally wear one on each cheek and no one would notice! Did I mention the price difference for these comparable products?! Wet n Wild is $5.99- Becca is $19.

These blushes are similar in both color and finish as well; they have a beautiful muted rose-y matte pink color which can work well on so many skin tones.

The Wet n Wild is more pigmented than the Balm Cosmetics Blush in both swatching and applying with a brush on the cheeks. The Wet n Wild is so pigmented that I typically dip my brush in the pan, wipe on a paper towel lightly, and then apply to my cheeks. That extra step helps a lot to give a more airbrushed look and less clown face, since the color is so intense. Again, the colors and finishes are the same, so you can build the Balm Cosmetics blushes up to be more pigmented like the Wet n Wild. This price difference is kind of insane. Wet n Wild $2.99 — Balm Springs $21

Overall

If we purchased these three dupes, it would be $14.98.

If we purchased all three high end products, it would be $66.

That’s $51.02 less expensive for the same color and texture.

All three drug store products works just as well as the high end items- I cannot stress enough that the quality is there!!! I wanted to share items with you that are so similar that you cannot deny its a dupe. Please note, I am a fan of all of these products so I’m not putting down the high end brands, just wanting to share the similarities so you can save a few pennies. Is this something I should write about more? I have some primers, sprays and powders that I believe are great dupes, interested in reading about that? Let me know in the comments.